Moko's Surprise Birthday Party
by Karindii
Summary: Moko celebrates her first birthday party with her friends at LME... Please R&R!
1. Prologue: Moko's Return

Kotanami Kanae, or Moko-san as her best friend so lovingly called her, was finally back in Japan. She had been overseas in the United States for two long weeks finishing scenes for a movie that she had a small role in. For those two weeks she had been completely cut off from Kyoko. She didn't get a phone call, an email, not even a text message from her best friend! And although Moko-san hated being separated from Kyoko even more than she hated being around Kyoko, these separations were unfortunately to be expected. The roles were pouring in left and right for both of them, but especially so for Kyoko after Dark Moon premiered. So of course the time they wanted to spend together was often taken up by filming or any Love Me chores given to them.

"But none of that is a problem today!" Moko-san thought to herself as she walked down LME's crowded midday corridors. "I have the day off since I just got back and when Kyoko is done with Box R she should be done for the day too." Moko-san silently thanked her photographic memory for allowing her to remember Kyoko's schedule. "And I guess I should be grateful to the President, too, for giving me her schedule in the first place." She shivered in distaste, remembering what the President had made her do in order to get the schedule. That memory was best locked up forever. "I hope the President and his stupid ideas about love bite him in the butt one day," she thought angrily.

But to her, the ordeal was worth it. She had Kyoko's schedule and had come up with a plan that would make Kyoko ecstatic! First, Moko-san would surprise Kyoko by showing up at the set of Box R and asking Kyoko to come hang out with her for the rest of the day. Kyoko would be very, very happy about that. "And that man who keeps hogging my best friend won't be invited," she thought with some wicked glee. That Tsuraga Ren was going to get what was coming to him if he kept that up. But after showing up on her set, she and Kyoko would go window shopping, all the while Kyoko would be trying for the millionth time to get Kanae to play along with her odd friendship drama…thing. "Who knows where she got those stupid ideas! No friends would ever act in such a way!" she thought. But one learned not to be surprised with Mogami Kyoko's antics, and oh how she had learned. But then, after window shopping, they would go to their favorite ice cream shop, try all the new flavors of ice cream, and catch up on all the things that had happened while they were apart…and of course Kyoko would have that goofy smile of hers on the entire time…

While Moko-san had become lost in her reverie and daydreaming, a small smile had crept up on her face. Suddenly realizing what her face looked like, Moko-san stopped dead in her tracks and slapped her face with both hands, ridding her face of that happy expression. She slowly peered to her right and left and then quickly twisted around to look behind her. Seeing no sign of a neon pink uniform or a flash of short red hair among the masses that were walking down the hallway, Moko-san assumed she was safe. Dropping her hands back to her side and restarting her journey to the Love Me room, Moko-san angrily thought to herself, "Mo! What were you doing just now! If Kyoko had seen that face…" Kanae shuddered at the very thought. Knowing Kyoko, she would have seen Kanae in that state and assumed that Kanae had missed her. Moko-san would have then been hug-tackled by a teary, pink blur that was screaming "Mokooooo-saaaaaan!!!". In front of EVERYONE. Moko-san loved her friend, but she just wasn't cut out for that kind of embarrassment or affection, not even in private.

While lost in thought, she had arrived at the Love Me headquarters and had actually been standing in front of the door for several minutes. She shook her head, coming back to reality, and reached for the doorknob. As she touched the door she heard Kyoko yell something loudly inside the room and another group of people yell something unintelligible back. Moko-san stood frozen, her hand still on the doorknob. "Nooooo!!" she cried in her head. "Why is Kyoko back at LME already??"

Quickly jerking her hand away from the door, Moko-san pulled out her phone and checked the time. It was 12:06 and Kyoko shouldn't have gotten out of Box R until 1:00. "She must have done all her scenes without any NGs and left early! Well, there goes my plan…" a very peeve Kanae Kotonami thought to herself.

Well, Kyoko being in the Love Me room wasn't that surprising… "She is a member of Love Me after all," Moko-san thought. But who were the other people? Moko-san grabbed the doorknob again and, as slowly and as quietly as possible, cracked the door open. Peeking through the cracked door, she saw the most horrifying combination of people she could think of sitting in the room, happily chatting away about some unknown topic.

"Oh, Kami-sama…What are they doing together?!?!" Moko-san whispered with horror.

Kyoko had been talking when Moko-san whispered to herself. If Moko-san hadn't been in complete and utter shock, she would have heard Kyoko say, "So, let Operation Bir...". Or at least Kyoko started to say it. Kyoko was very tuned into Moko-san, as Moko-san was Kyoko's first friend. And because of this, Kyoko heard Moko's tiny whisper and stopped speaking just in time.

"Mokoooo-saaaaaaaan!!!" Kyoko joyfully shouted as she sprinted towards the shell-shocked actress.


	2. Yashiro's Shock

A/N: Well, here's the second chapter!! ^.^ For those of you who were actually waiting on this chapter...SORRY! -hides behind desk- I was drowning under homework and I'm surprised I actually found time to write at all...

But anyways, I believe some thank yous are in order! First of all, thank you leavesfallingup and TohkoXKetsueki for the reviews! I was very happy that you two actually liked my first chapter enough to leave reviews! :D Second, thanks to everyone who read my story because the sheer joy I got when I saw how many people read it was enough to make me write this chapter as fast as possibly possible. And finally, my lovely friends who I have asked *coughblackmailedcough* to be my beta readers! And like the lovely *coughscaredcough* people they are, they happily *coughquicklycough* complied! -laughs-

Last thing before we start...Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Skip Beat! If I did I would be the happiest person in the world!

Well, that's it! Here's we go! : P

* * *

About an hour earlier…

Yashiro Yukihito was finally back…from Ren's dressing room. As he leaned against one of the walls at Ren's newest job, the young manager watched the scene that Ren and his co-star were acting out.

"Or maybe I should say _attempting _to act out," Yashiro muttered to himself, mildly peeved. Ren's co-star was proving to be a rather incompetent actress, as she couldn't even manage to properly say the few lines she had in this particular scene. Normally, this wouldn't have bothered Yashiro in the least; many of Ren's female co-stars found it difficult to act alongside the incredibly talented man. His acting had a way of wiping your thoughts and making you forget just exactly what it was you were thinking about. But today Ren had, yet again, been acting without taking any breaks. Because of this, and a certain co-star, Yukihito's charge had not eaten or even drank anything in almost five hours. Thus, his trip to Ren's dressing room. Yashiro had grabbed a water bottle from the room and brought it back to the set, where he had set the bottle by his feet so it was in easy reach when Ren finished his scene.

"Although you can hardly blame the poor girl," Yashiro thought to himself when he saw that the director made Ren and afore-mentioned girl restart the scene again. Ren gave her yet another one of his dazzling smiles (the poor girl had already received more than Yashiro cared to count) and what were probably some words of encouragement, even though he couldn't hear exactly what was said. Ren had been giving out his dangerous gentlemanly smiles right and left for the better part of the day. "And those," Yashiro thought, "are never a good sign." Yashiro sighed and continued in his head," The poor man has every right to be so annoyed though. He hasn't seen Kyoko-chan in almost a week, not to mention this hassle."

Yashiro was stirred out of his thinking when the director yelled, "CUT!" The director then watched the footage they had just taken and let Ren and the actress leave the set, apparently satisfied with their performance. Yashiro retrieved the water bottle from the floor and walked over to Ren. "Well, he looks happy about being released doesn't he?" he thought.

"Good work today," Yashiro told Ren, handing him the water. Ren gave him a look that said, "Thanks," and gulped down the water within a few seconds. Afterwards, he exhaled deeply, his thirst satisfied. "So what do we have next Yashiro?" Ren asked with a grin on his face as they both walk towards his car.

"You've got a lunch break next, Ren. And you ARE going to eat even if I have to hunt Kyoko-chan down to make you do it!" Yashiro teasingly told Ren. "Well," Yashiro thought, "I was serious about getting Kyoko-chan if he refuses to eat."

Ren sighed and Yashiro saw his chance to tease the love-sick man a little. He really couldn't help teasing Ren most of the time, as it was the only time Yashiro ever saw Ren's mask come down. "Well, besides the time he spends with Kyoko-chan, of course," Yashiro giggled to himself, his inner fan-boy starting to appear.

"Maybe asking Kyoko-chan out to lunch isn't such a bad idea," Yashiro mused out loud, smirking. "After all, it's been soooooooo long since **you**'ve seen her," he said placing emphasis on the "you". Both of the men went through the stage door that led to the parking lot as Yashiro continued his teasing, "What with her busy schedule and Dark Moon being finished, you practically never get to see her anymore. Must be lonely, not seeing the girl you love even once a week."

Yashiro glanced up to see Ren's reaction and, as usual, Ren had his gentleman's smile plastered on his face, completely ignoring the teasing of his close friend. Yashiro pouted at that and shook his head. "Stupid gentlemanly behavior. That's no fun at all."

They reached their parking space, climbed into the car, and Ren began driving. When Yashiro realized where they were going, he turned to Ren and asked, "Umm…Ren, why are we going to LME?"

Ren glanced over to his passenger and gave a little smirk of his own. "Well, Yashiro you should know why. YOU are the one who suggested we should ask Mogami-san to eat lunch with us."

After a few seconds of shock, Yashiro was finally able to get out, "WHAT?? YOU'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO SEE HER OF YOUR OWN ACCORD?? AND GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO DO IT AS WELL??" Yashiro was absolutely shocked. "Ren does EVERYTHING in his power to throw off my schemes where he and Kyoko-chan _accidentally_ meet in random places!" he screamed in his head. "And he's going out of his way to find her? As much as I would love it, I highly doubt that is the case," Yashiro thought, the shock beginning to wear off. Yashiro sighed, "What's the other reason for us going to LME, Ren?"

"Those other scripts you told me about when I picked you up this morning," Ren said nonchalantly as he turned into the LME parking garage. "I thought I would pick those up and, if Mogami-san is there, ask her to get lunch with us. Although, as she should be filming 'Box R' right now, I doubt she will be there."

Yashiro sighed again. "If I keep this sighing up I'll be an old man before I turn thirty," he thought rather sourly to himself. "But it's just so disappointing! Ren didn't even really think she would be there! He was only paying me back for teasing him earlier," he fumed.

Ren parked, turned off his car, and got out. "Well, two can play at that game," he angrily thought as he got out of the car too. By the time Yashiro had gotten out of the car, Ren had walked to the parking garage's elevator and was holding the elevator for him. Yashiro quickly ran into the elevator, his mind furiously plotting to get his revenge. Recalling to mind the incident at Karuiwaza, Yashiro knew exactly what he was going to do…

"This is going to be low, even for me," he thought to himself, a tad worried at what Ren's revenge would be for this. "But this is what he deserves for essentially ignoring Kyoko! And for teasing me!" Yashiro wasn't quite over that yet.

The elevator announced its arrival at the duo's desired floor and its doors slid open accordingly. Ren walked out of the elevator while Yashiro stayed just a moment longer, bracing himself for the glare he knew he was about to get. After taking a deep breath, he followed Ren out into the corridor and caught up with him. Even though Yashiro was shaking like a leaf on the inside, he decided to go ahead with his plan.

"I wonder if Kyoko-chan has seen anymore of Fuwa-kun since we've been gone," he started. Ren instantly froze, which would have been rather comical in any other situation because he had frozen mid-step. But the swirling black aura that had just appeared around Ren told Yashiro that he might not want to laugh if he valued his life. "Well, I've already started," Yashiro thought to himself, "I might as well finish."

"When we left, they seemed to be on somewhat better terms. Maybe Kyoko-chan has decided that maybe she wants to be at least kind of friendly with him." The Demon Lord snapped around to face Yashiro, very very displeased with him.

"Is that what you think Yashiro?" Ren frigidly asked. "Because as far as I knew," he seethed, using his tall figure to loom over Yashiro, "Mogami-san hated that man!"

Yashiro tried his hardest not to gulp in fear and succeeded, but he wasn't sure if he could take much more. "Crap!" he thought. "This is a lot worse than usual." Answering Ren's question as evenly and as calmly as he could, Yashiro said, "Well, no…that's not what I think. Only a normal girl would think something like that and Kyoko-chan is most certainly NOT normal! I was just wondering if their relationship might be improving…" Yashiro stopped there because Ren seemed to be getting angrier.

"If that is what you think, Yashiro, keep it to yourself," Ren growled angrily before stalking off towards the President's office, where he was going to pick up his scripts. After Ren was out of sight, Yashiro began to follow him to the President's office. But very, very slowly.

"Well that backfired massively," Yashiro muttered dryly. "I didn't expect for him to get THAT mad over it. Angry? Yes. Seething and murderous? Definitely not. So why was he so mad?" Yashiro pursued this question until he arrived at the answer which, coincidentally, was the same time he arrived at the President's door. "REN IS JEALOUS!" he thought triumphantly to himself.

Feeling a little better after figuring out the reason for Ren's anger, Yashiro quietly entered Takarada-san's office to see if Ren was still in there. If anyone not from LME had entered Takarada-san's office, they would have been shocked to see the whole place decked out as a medieval castle, but at LME it was something you got used to. The office was covered in old looking tapestries and knights dressed in full armor were stationed along the wall. Unsurprisingly, there was a bay stallion in the room too. Like I said earlier, workers at LME just get used to their President's antics at some point. "Oh," Yashiro thought, "Takarada-san even had a fireplace built."

Takarada-san and Ren were sitting at a huge, round stone table that was set in the center of the room. Apparently Takarada-san had cheered Ren up with some kind of good news as Ren was now grinning just a little and the dark aura that had been surrounding him was gone.

Glancing up, Takarada-san finally noticed Yashiro and said, "Oh! Have ye come to fetch your charge, Sir Yukihito? He may depart now, as we have ended our conversation." Ren looked at Yashiro with a small apologetic smile. Yashiro was right in thinking Ren was in a better mood, even if he was feeling a little guilty about his treatment of Yashiro.

Ren stood up and told the President, "Thank you for the scripts, Takarada-san. I'll talk to you later." He walked over to Yashiro and they both left the room. After closing the door behind him, Ren glanced down at Yashiro. "Just because I'm not angry anymore doesn't mean I've forgotten what you said," he calmly informed his friend. "I'm simply going to leave it be for now."

"Thanks, Ren. And sorry for pressing your buttons like that. I honestly didn't think you would get so upset about it," Yashiro admitted. Ren nodded and they walked back down the hall towards the elevator, heading to their next destination. They called the elevator and rode it back down a few floors. Although they were silent, it was a threatening or angry silence. "Just…companionable," Yashiro thought. "A companionable silence."

The elevator sounded its arrival and the doors began to slide open…but as soon as the doors were even barely cracked, a streak of blond, curly hair dashed through shouting, "REN-SAMA!!!!" Maria-chan had found her husband-to-be. At least if her black magic had any say in it. She jumped up into Ren's arms and started happily jabbering away about everything she had done since she had last seen Ren. All of this happened before the elevator doors had even fully opened.

"Hello, Maria-chan," Ren happily greeted the young child. Ren, carrying Maria-chan, and Yashiro exited the elevator and it swiftly closed behind them.

"Ren-sama it's been so long since I saw you!!" Maria-chan pouted, finally ceasing her stories of her school activities and of her grandfather's complete and utter silliness. "You should come and see Onee-sama and I more often!! Oh, and where are we going, Ren-sama?" she asked when she noticed that her beloved Ren-sama was obviously walking with some kind of destination in mind.

"To do exactly as you said I should," Ren said with a grin. "We're going to see if Mogami-san is here and if she would like to eat lunch with us." Yashiro joyously celebrated in his head; Ren was finally going to see Kyoko! Continuing, he asked her, "Would you like to join us Maria-chan?" Yashiro sighed internally. He had been hoping to find some way to leave Ren alone with Kyoko but… "I guess that's not going to happen," he finished in his mind.

Maria-chan, on the other hand, was absolutely positively THRILLED with Ren's idea. "YES! I would love to go to lunch with you and Onee-sama!!!" she squealed in utter delight. "I haven't even seen Onee-sama in a long time because she has been so busy filming 'Box…" Maria-chan let her sentence fade and Ren saw she was staring down the hallway, a look of complete shock and confusion on her face. Ren followed her stare and the same look would have fallen over his face if his acting skills had not kicked in and let his face preserve some small bit of dignity.

Yashiro was still pouting about not being able to let Ren and Kyoko-chan have some alone time together, so he didn't notice when the shocked silence fell over the two normally chatty people. When he finally did notice, he followed their stares down the hallway to find a sight so puzzling, so confusing, and shall I say it, so downright hilarious that Yashiro's face mimicked Maria's and Ren's.

At the end of the hall, Kyoko and a teenage boy were attempting to "sneak" down the hallway and into the LoveMe room. Their faces were scrunched up in concentration, but what made the sight so funny was that Kyoko was still wearing her bright hot pink jumpsuit; there was no way she COULD avoid being seen. They finally ran into the LoveMe room, unaware that EVERY SINGLE PERSON in the hallway was wearing the same look as Ren, Maria, and Yashiro. Ren gently stood Maria back on the floor and proceeded to laugh so hard he was crying and banging on the wall. Maria just looked back and forth between her Ren-sama and the door her Onee-sama had just went through, trying to decide whether she wanted to break down and laugh like Ren was (no matter how undignified she would look) or if she wanted to run after her Onee-sama and ask what exactly what her and that boy where doing. The only thing Yashiro could do was take off his glasses so he could wipe the tears of laughter out of his eyes and think, "What the heck is Kyoko-chan up to this time??" Ren stopped laughing long enough for the trio to look at each other…and then all three of them burst out laughing so hard they had to lean against a wall (Ren) or sit in the floor (Maria and Yashiro) because they could no longer stand up.

After a few minutes, they all were finally able to stop laughing, excepting the occasional giggle or chuckle here and there. Ren quickly strode up to the door Kyoko had disappeared behind and knocked firmly on it. Kyoko shouted, "Coming!" and cracked the door open to see who it was.

"Is she trying to hide something?" Yashiro thought. "Because normally she wou-" he tried to think, but his mind was incapable of continuing any further because as soon as Kyoko saw Ren's face she screamed and slammed the door.

They all stood there, including everyone else in the hallway, in total shock at her behavior. She would usually never treat anyone that way, especially not her beloved "senpai". "Ren does always manage to get the weirdest reactions out of her," Yashiro slowly thought, as his senses began to return

No one had moved or spoken since Kyoko had screamed and slammed the door, but somehow Maria was finally able to lightly knock on the door and softly call out, "Onee-sama? Is something wrong…?"

* * *

A/N: Oh, on a side note, if anyone has any good ideas for what Kanae should get for her birthday send me your idea! I'm having...difficulties...deciding what everyone should get her...


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